More Fallout from MAFB Nuclear Mistake

More Air Force officers will be relieved of duty and some of those involved in the mistaken fligh...  More »

More Air Force officers will be relieved of duty and some of those involved in the mistaken flight of nuclear warheads from Minot to Louisiana in August may face criminal charges. More now from CBS National Security Correspondent David Martin. IT'S PROBABLY THE WORST CASE OF LOOSE NUKES IN U.S. MILITARY HISTORY. FOUR OFFICERS RESPONSIBLE FOR LOSING TRACK OF SIX NUCLEAR ARMED CRUISE MISSILES ARE BEING RELIEVED OF DUTY. MORE THAN 60 AIR FORCE PERSONNEL HAVE HAD THEIR NUCLEAR SECURITY CLEARANCES LIFTED. DURING A 36 HOUR PERIOD LAST AUGUST, THE SIX MISSILES WERE LOADED ON A B-52 BOMBER AT Minot Air Force Base IN North Dakota AND FLOWN ALL THE WAY TO BARKSDALE AIR FORCE BASE IN LOUISIANA WITHOUT ANYONE KNOWING IT. RETIRED GENERAL EUGENE HABIGER, A FORMER B-52 PILOT WHO WENT ON TO COMMAND ALL NUCLEAR FORCES, SAYS IT DEFIES BELIEF. (Gen. Eugene Habiger (Ret.) / Fmr. Commander Strategic Command) IT IS INCONCEIVABLE TO ME WITH ALL THE CHECKS AND BALANCES THAT HAVE BEEN IN PLACE FOR SEVERAL TENS OF YEARS THAT THIS VERY UGLY CHAPTER IN THE HISTORY OF NUCLEAR WEAPONS COULD OCCUR IN THE UNITED STATES. IT WAS SUPPOSED TO HAVE BEEN A ROUTINE TRANSFER OF CRUISE MISSILES CARRYING DUMMY WARHEADS. BUT SIX OF THE MISSILES TAKEN OUT OF THE WEAPONS BUNKER WERE ARMED WITH NUCLEAR WARHEADS ROUGHLY 60 TIMES THE EXPLOSIVE POWER OF THE BOMB THAT LEVELED HIROSHIMA. THE REAL WARHEADS CAN BE IDENTIFIED SIMPLY BY LOOKING THROUGH A ONE INCH VIEW PORT. IF IT SHOWS RED, IT''S NUCLEAR, BUT NO ONE CHECKED. THERE WAS NEVER ANY DANGER THE WARHEADS WOULD GO OFF, EVEN IF THE PLANE CRASHED. BUT A CRASH COULD HAVE SPREAD RADIOACTIVE MATERIAL OVER A WIDE AREA. THE SENIOR OFFICER TO BE FIRED IS THE COMMANDER OF THE B-52 WING AT MINOT AND COULD, LIKE THE OTHERS, BE COURT MARTIALED. HABIGER: THE FACT THAT THOSE NUCLEAR WEAPONS WERE NOT UNDER THE REQUIRED SECURITY UMBRELLA FOR A PERIOD OF 30 OR SO HOURS IS INEXCUSABLE. BUT HABIGER SAYS THE REAL PROBLEM IS THAT WITH THE END OF THE COLD WAR, THE ENTIRE NATIONAL SECURITY ESTABLISHMENT STOPPED GIVING NUCLEAR WEAPONS THE CONSTANT ATTENTION THEY REQUIRE. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates is scheduled to be briefed on the Air Force investigation tomorrow.  « Less